Supporting the Christians of Iraq
Posted on 20. Apr, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Fr Ragheed Ganni, as depicted in mosaic in the Irish College Chapel. Fr Ragheed was a student of the Irish College until 2003 when he returned to his native Iraq to begin his ministry as a priest. He was martyred for his faith in 2007 along with three sub-deacons in Mosul outside the Holy Spirit Chaldean Church.
For Lent 2015, the Irish College seminarians decided to dedicate the annual Lenten appeal to the persecuted Christians of Iraq. Bonds of friendship unite the College community with the postgraduate priests who have lived at the Irish College in recent years and through them, the community has an acute awareness of the suffering of the Iraqi Christians.
The total raised was €4,150. The proceeds of the collection were presented to former Irish College postgraduate student, Fr Efrem Luay Dinkha for distribution to those in need of assistance at this time. The Lenten campaign had been organised by the seminary charity officer and the seminarians of the College, but, as the seminarians had already departed for Summer holidays at the time of Fr Efrem’s visit at the end of June, the formation staff members presented the cheque to him. A big thank you to all who contributed to the collection during Lent.
Pictured at the presentation were (left to right): Fr Tom Norris (Spiritual Director), Fr George Hayes (Vice Rector), Fr Efrem Luay Dinkha, Mons. Ciarán O’Carroll (Rector), Fr Hugh Clifford (Director of Formation).
Above all, please remember the Christians and other people of Iraq in your prayers, that they shall remain strong and that they shall be delivered from harm.
The news from Iraq leaves us incredulous and alarmed: thousands of people, many Christians among them, are being driven from their homes in a brutal way; children are dying of thirst and hunger while fleeing; women abducted; people massacred; every type of violence; destruction everywhere; destruction of houses, of religious, historic and cultural heritage. Yet all of this grievously offends God and grievously offends humanity. Hatred is not borne in the name of God! War is not waged in the name of God! All of us, thinking about this situation, about these people, let us be silent now and pray.
I thank those who, with courage, are taking aid to these brothers and sisters, and I hope that an effective political solution, both at the international and local levels, can put an end to these crimes and restore law.
– Pope Francis, speaking before the Angelus, 10th August 2014
Holy Week and Easter 2015 at the Irish College
Posted on 26. Mar, 2015 by John Coughlan in Uncategorized
The washing of feet on Holy Thursday
The liturgies of Holy Week and Easter at the Irish College are open to the public. All welcome. The times are as follows:
Palm Sunday, 29th March 2015
Mass – 10.00
Holy Thursday, 2nd April 2015
Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 18.00
Good Friday, 3rd April 2015
Celebration of the Passion of the Lord – 15.00
Holy Saturday, 4th April 2015
Easter Vigil – 21.00
Easter Sunday, 5th April 2015
Mass – 10.00
The paschal fire at the beginning of the Easter Vigil liturgy.
The Seven Last Words from the Cross
Posted on 19. Mar, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Crucifixion, seen from the Cross (1890) by James Tissot
Members of the College community and guests came together for a Lenten musical setting of the traditional ‘Seven Last Words from the Cross’, for mezzo-soprano, organ and cello, composed by Irish College Director of Sacred Music, Rev. Conor McCarthy in the College Chapel on Monday 23rd March 2015.
St Patrick’s Day 2015
Posted on 18. Mar, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Chiesa San Patrizio, Via Boncompagni 31.
On St Patrick’s Day, 17th March 2015, Mass for the Irish community and friends was celebrated in Chiesa San Patrizio, Via Boncompagni 31, at 10.00.
In the evening, there was a celebration of Vespers at the Irish College at 19.30, and refreshments and musical entertainment followed.
To view photographs from the day, click here.
Admission to Candidacy 2015
Posted on 05. Mar, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Left to right: Front: Stephen Duffy (new Candidate), Bishop Brian Farrell, Daniel Gallagher (new Candidate). Back: Fr Hugh Clifford (Director of Formation), Fr George Hayes (Vice Rector), Fr Alphonsus Cullinan (Bishop-elect of Waterford and Lismore), Fr Thomas Norris (Spiritual Director), Rev. Aidan McCann (Deacon for the Mass), Monsignor Ciarán O’Carroll (Rector).
Two seminarians of the Pontifical Irish College, Rome, were admitted to Candidacy for ordination to Diaconate and Priesthood by Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, on 4th March 2015. The new Candidates are Mr. Stephen Duffy, for the Diocese of Clogher, and Mr. Daniel Gallagher, for the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora. Stephen and Daniel will be ordained as Deacons on Easter Tuesday, 7th April 2015 in Basilica San Silvestro.
To view photographs of the Admission to Candidacy, click here.
Doctoral defence: Fr Antun Japundžić
Posted on 27. Feb, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Fr Antun Japundžić with his parents on the occasion of the defence of his doctoral thesis.
Congratulations to former Irish College postgraduate student, Fr Antun Japundžić, of the Diocese of Dakovačko-Osječka, Croatia, on the successful defence of his doctoral thesis, ‘La visione ecclesiologica del teologo serbo-ortodosso Padre Justin Popović (1894-1979)’ [The ecclesiological vision of the Serbian Orthodox theologian, Fr Justin Popović (1894-1979)] at the Pontifical Oriental Institute on Friday, 27th February 2015. The moderator for the thesis was Rev. Prof. Germano Marani SJ.
Forty Hours Adoration
Posted on 15. Feb, 2015 by John Coughlan in Uncategorized
The annual Forty Hours Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place in the Chapel of the Irish College from 20.00 on Thursday 19th until 12 noon Mass on Saturday 21st February 2014. Any members of the Sunday congregation or other friends of the College are welcome to come in for a while to join the community in keeping watch with our Eucharistic Lord during the period.
‘So let us ask ourselves this evening, in adoring Christ who is really present in the Eucharist: do I let myself be transformed by him? Do I let the Lord who gives himself to me, guide me to going out ever more from my little enclosure, in order to give, to share, to love him and others?’ – Pope Francis, homily at Mass on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, 30th May 2013.
The Gift of the Priestly Vocation
Posted on 31. Jan, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
For information about vocations to the Priesthood in Ireland, including contact details for the vocations directors of the Irish dioceses, see the Diocesan Vocations Ireland website by clicking here.
‘This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.’ – Pope Francis, Homily at the Chrism Mass, St Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Holy Thursday, 28th March 2013.
Video of four Irish College Rome seminarians telling their vocation stories to Fr Ruairí Ó Dómhnaill, produced by iCatholic:
For a video clip of Bishop Donal McKeown reflecting on the importance of prayer for vocations, click here.
For vocations pastoral letter of Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin with video, click here.
Vocations video clip by the Diocese of Limerick – click here.
Vocations website of the Archdiocese of Armagh – click here.
Vocations website of the Diocese of Down and Connor – click here.
For a video interview about Priesthood with Fr Michael Shields by Worldpriest supported by Aid to the Church in Need, click here.
Ministry of Acolyte 2015
Posted on 14. Jan, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Bill O’Shaughnessy, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Dublin, was conferred with the Ministry of Acolyte in the Chapel of the Pontifical Irish College Rome, by Cardinal James Harvey, Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls on Wednesday, 14th January 2014.
Pictured above after the Mass are: Rev. Aidan McCann (Deacon for the Mass), Fr Thomas Norris (Spiritual Director), Fr Hugh Clifford (Director of Formation), Mr Bill O’Shaughnessy (new Acolyte), Cardinal James Harvey (Celebrant), Monsignor Ciarán O’Carroll (Rector), Fr George Hayes (Vice Rector).
To view more photographs from the ceremony, click here.
The role of an Acolyte is set out in Pope Paul VI’s Motu proprio, ‘Ministeria quaedam’ of 1972:
‘The acolyte is appointed in order to aid the deacon and to minister to the priest. It is his duty therefore to attend to the service of the altar and to assist the deacon and the priest in liturgical celebrations, especially in the celebration of Mass; he is also to distribute communion as a special minister when the ministers spoken of in the Codex Iuris Canonici can. 845 are not available or are prevented by ill health, age, or another pastoral ministry from performing this function, or when the number of communicants is so great that the celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged. In the same extraordinary circumstances an acolyte may be entrusted with publicly exposing the Blessed Sacrament for adoration by the faithful and afterward replacing it, but not with blessing the people. He may also, to the extent needed, take care of instructing other faithful who on a temporary basis are appointed to assist the priest or deacon in liturgical celebrations by carrying the missal, cross, candles, etc., or by performing other such duties. He will perform these functions more worthily if he participates in the holy Eucharist with increasingly fervent devotion, receives nourishment from it, and deepens his knowledge about it.
As one set aside in a special way for the service of the altar, the acolyte should learn all matters concerning public divine worship and strive to grasp their inner spiritual meaning: in that way he will be able each day to offer himself entirely to God, be an example to all by his gravity and reverence in Church, and have a sincere love for the Mystical Body of Christ, the people of God, especially for the weak and the sick.’
Doctoral defence: Fr Pedro Luis Schiavinato
Posted on 08. Jan, 2015 by John Coughlan in Carousel
Congratulations to former Irish College postgraduate student, Fr Pedro Luis Schiavinato, of the Diocese of Ribeirâo Preto, Brazil, who successfully defended his doctoral thesis, ‘Análise exegética e linhas teológicas do confronto antitético entre Adão e Cristo em Rm 5, 12-21’ at the Pontifical University Antonianum on 15th December 2014.